Chapter 40: Chapter 40 : Moon Lion Form, Full Combat Power
"Hey..."
His legs were kicking through the air.
Wilhelm, floating in mid-air, stared ahead at Akainu, who had a murderous expression on his face.
A grin spread across Wilhelm's face, and he couldn't stop laughing. "You're really getting me excited, Akainu!"
His expression showed no fear. Instead, it was filled with excitement, joy, and madness...
His eyes were burning with an intense fire, full of fighting spirit like never before.
"Heeeeeeeeeee..."
Suddenly, his whole body began to flicker with bright, crackling electric lights. Every cell in his body seemed to be jumping with energy and excitement.
His aura completely changed, shifting so fast it was visible to the naked eye...
"Shave!"
Akainu stomped his foot, moving with lightning speed.
He looked at Wilhelm, who had changed dramatically, his eyes narrowing in surprise. "That guy... He's not a Paramecia Devil Fruit user after all. Is he… a Mythical Zoan user? Even rarer than Logia?"
"Roar—!" A flash of lightning erupted.
Wilhelm's long silver-white hair blew in the wind as snow-white fur started growing all over his body. He looked like a wild beast now, and he wasn't about to let Akainu take advantage of the moment.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from his previous position.
The next moment, he reappeared right behind Sakazuki.
His eyes were glowing red, filled with a fierce and crazed energy. His already massive body grew even larger, reaching over three meters tall.
His face twisted into a terrifying, savage expression, with sharp, monstrous teeth and claws that gleamed like steel.
A wild, menacing aura surged around him—something far more terrifying than before.
"Shhhrrip…"
He was surrounded by crackling electric light.
In one hand, he gripped a set of natural teeth, and in the other, he held a seven-star sword.
Wilhelm had fully activated his Moon Lion form, unleashing all the potential hidden within him. He was now like a beast let loose from a cage, with all his combat power unleashed.
His speed, strength, and Haki all surged to new heights.
In just a short time, he had made a huge leap forward.
"Double Swords · Double Flying Dragon!"
The muscles in both of his arms bulged as he gathered energy.
With one sword and one blade raised high, arcs of powerful electric light crackled and danced, charging forward in a deadly slash.
"Ho————!"
Two massive green slashes shot forward, transforming into two fierce dragons made of pure lightning. They roared, their jaws snapping and claws outstretched, as they created a storm of destruction.
Using his Observation Haki, Akainu didn't hesitate. He reacted instantly.
With a sharp turn, his magma-covered fist shot out with tremendous force.
"Dog Gnawing Red Lotus!" Akainu swung his right fist with brutal force, and a massive surge of magma exploded from his hand, forming a gigantic dog made of molten lava.
"Roar—!" In an instant, the terrifying lava dog bared its fiery mouth, which looked hot enough to burn and melt anything in its path.
Without showing any sign of weakness, Wilhelm bit down hard and slashed at the two massive flying dragons that suddenly charged at him.
"Boom…"
"Woo hoo hoo…"
"Clatter…"
The sound of the clash shook the very sky.
Magma sprayed everywhere, and the hot airwaves raged uncontrollably.
The sea boiled, and the sky turned a fiery red as the monstrous waves crashed and rolled in all directions.
"Scrub…"
"Keng!!"
"Clang!!"
"Boom!!"
The afterimages blurred in the air.
It was so fast that it was almost impossible to follow. The scene was dazzling.
After transforming into the Moon Lion, Wilhelm's size grew to over three meters, matching Akainu's height.
Bright electric sparks flickered continuously, while molten magma splashed all around. The two figures moved through the air, clashing fiercely, with each blow shaking the atmosphere.
Wilhelm's speed, strength, and Haki were all on a completely different level after his transformation. His figure flickered like lightning, moving with unbelievable speed.
In a split second, the sky was filled with his image—so fast it was overwhelming.
Akainu couldn't keep up. Despite his best efforts to use the same tactics over and over, he couldn't catch Wilhelm's flaw. Instead, he was left with several deep gashes on his body.
It was a dangerous fight, one where the margin for error was razor-thin.
"The same trick again? You think it'll work?" Wilhelm's voice echoed in the air, dripping with sarcasm.
Despite the taunt, his attacks didn't slow down. He knew the Moon Lion form wouldn't last long, so he pushed himself to the limit, using his Goro Goro no Mi powers and his sword with relentless speed.
Akainu, the monster of an Admiral candidate, felt his nerves tense. He was barely able to keep up, his instincts screaming at him to be on guard at all times.
Danger was constantly at his back, and a few times, he barely avoided a fatal blow.
"Clang!!" "Clang!!"…
The sounds of metal crashing against metal echoed endlessly above the roiling sea.
Wilhelm's figure flickered across the sky, so fast that it was impossible to tell if it was real or just an illusion.
If it weren't for Akainu's own Haki (Observation Haki) and his high-level Haki (Armament Haki), he would have had no chance of predicting Wilhelm's moves. His Haki was like an invisible steel armor, barely enough to withstand the storm of attacks.
Wilhelm's head had already been severed.
"Don't get cocky, kid. You're still a long way off!"
Sakazuki, constantly stepping through the air and staying on guard, had his entire body tense. His face darkened with focus.
His Haki (Observation Haki) was fully activated, sensing any attacks coming from all directions at any moment. He continuously swung his red-hot magma fists, distorting the air around him with each strike.
The swords came at him from all angles, clashing relentlessly.
Even though Wilhelm's Haki was still weaker than Akainu's, it had clearly improved, and he was starting to pose a real threat. If Akainu was too careless, he might actually lose this fight.
Akainu's chest, shoulders, and arms were marked by deep, bloody wounds. The pain from the burns was sharp and constant—a lesson he would not forget.
"Clang clang... clang clang..."
Above the roiling sea, countless figures flashed.
Using his powers, Wilhelm was a blur of movement, flickering with violent electric light. Holding the Shichiseiken in one hand and Natural Fang in the other, he was a whirlwind of strikes, his figure so fast it was almost impossible to track.
The afterimages made it difficult to tell which one was the real Wilhelm, or if every image was truly him. In a short amount of time, Wilhelm collided with Akainu again and again.
The sounds of metal clashing echoed endlessly.
The intense shockwaves from their attacks made it hard to even keep one's eyes open, and the sea below them boiled in turmoil. The hot magma splattered across the ocean, turning the surface into a fog of steam.
But the battle between them was a blur of constant, instantaneous exchanges.
Having learned from his past mistakes, Wilhelm didn't give Akainu any chance to counterattack. Aware of the overwhelming power difference, he wasn't foolish enough to try facing him head-on.
Instead, Wilhelm aimed to use the terrain to his advantage. His goal was simple: to force Akainu into the sea.
As a Devil Fruit user, Akainu would be doomed if he was submerged in the ocean. No matter how powerful he was, he wouldn't be able to resist the sea's curse.
Wilhelm relentlessly struck from every direction, attacking from every angle without leaving any openings. Most of his attacks were aimed at striking down from above, trying to force Akainu into the sea below.
But Akainu, one of the most capable and dangerous Vice Admirals in the Marines, wasn't easily caught off guard.
He was always aware of Wilhelm's intentions, quickly realizing what he was trying to do. Using his immense strength, he carefully controlled the distance between himself and the ocean, making sure to stay far enough from the water to avoid Wilhelm's trap.
Even though Wilhelm was fighting with everything he had, trying to close in, he could never get close enough to the sea to pull off his plan.
As the battle raged on, Sakazuki cleverly used Wilhelm's attacks against him, pushing the fight toward Jaya Island—strategically retreating while keeping the pressure on his opponent.